1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to the field of golf clubs and more particularly to a golf club training device for improving a golfer's swing. In a disclosed embodiment, a golf club shaft is cut transversely along its length, a portion is removed, and an offset slide mechanism is inserted at the cut to enable a lower portion of the shaft to move transversely relative to an upper portion of the shaft during a desired swing. The natural flexibility of a golf club shaft is employed to shape a properly hit golf ball trajectory to selectively curve the ball, either left to right, or right to left. The training device hereof teaches a golfer to swing a golf club in a manner that exploits the momentum of the golf club head to achieve the desired ball trajectory shape.
2. Background Art
Golfers are always looking for ways to improve their scores. As a result, many different kinds of training devices have been disclosed in issued U.S. patents for improving various aspects of a golfer's skills. Some such training devices are specifically configured to improve a golfer's swing so that he or she hits a golf ball longer or straighter or more accurately. Normally, such training devices are designed to be used at a hitting range where repeated use of the device will produce muscle memory or other physical effect to alter the golfer's swing for the better using conventional golf clubs during an actual round of golf. The present invention is such a device. Examples of prior art golf club training devices are found in disclosures of the following issued patents and pending patent applications.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,953,035BeckiskU.S. Pat. No. 4,027,886KatsubeU.S. Pat. No. 4,145,054StewartU.S. Pat. No. 4,576,378BackusU.S. Pat. No. 4,614,343RadwayU.S. Pat. No. 4,854,585Koch et alU.S. Pat. No. 4,932,661ChoiU.S. Pat. No. 5,026,064NovoselU.S. Pat. No. 5,143,376JohnsonU.S. Pat. No. 5,415,406Reichenbach et alU.S. Pat. No. 5,467,993HigginsonU.S. Pat. No. 5,527,039LevesqueU.S. Pat. No. 5,580,321RennhackU.S. Pat. No. 5,700,205SanfordU.S. Pat. No. 5,860,871Marley, Jr.U.S. Pat. No. 5,941,779Zeiner-GundersenU.S. Pat. No. 6,012,988BurkeU.S. Pat. No. 6,059,668Marley, Jr.U.S. Pat. No. 6,358,157SorensonU.S. Pat. No. 6,440,005HubenigU.S. Pat. No. 6,881,156PhillipsU.S. Pat. No. 7,041,000GallowayU.S. Pat. No. 7,285,055RadleU.S. Pat. No. 7,455,595Gibbons et alU.S. Pat. application No. 2006/0,122,000Paredes et alU.S. Pat. application No. 2007/0,275,788DelpineU.S. Pat. application No. 2010/0,167,830Hinton et alU.S. Pat. application No. 2012/0,064,986Brooks
None of the aforementioned prior art relates to a training device specifically configured to improve a golfer's ability to selectively shape the ball's trajectory so that the ball moves right to left or left to right in a controlled manner. Moreover, none of the prior art listed herein, or otherwise known to the Applicant, employs a swing training club wherein a device is actually inserted in between upper and lower portions of a cut shaft so that one such portion can be moved laterally relative to the other such portion by forces incurred during a preferred swing.